Electrical connectors are known having a plurality of electrical contacts therein for mating with corresponding contacts of a mating connector for signal transmission, in which each signal line is electrically connected to a discrete component on or in the connector. In U.S. Pat. No. 4,804,332 each contact is connected to one electrode of a discrete filter member while the other electrode is connected by a ground member to the connector shell and then to chassis ground; the signal lines are thus protected against electronic noise such as electromagnetic interference (EMI) and radiofrequency interference (RFI). For example, appropriately selected filter members can assuredly filter out noise in the lower frequency ranges such as under 500 megahertz from the signal lines of the connector. The filter members are mounted in a common housing component which is then securable to an electrical connector such as a conventional connector so that first electrodes of filter members become electrically connected by means of discrete straps to the contacts mounted in the connector, or to discrete circuits connected to the contacts; second electrodes of the filter members are electrically connected to a separate ground bus member which then includes a portion extending outwardly from the component to be connected (such as by soldering) to the shell, for example, of the connector for grounding Contact sections of the bus member and of each discrete strap can be exposed within apertures of the component housing into which the filter members can be inserted for soldering to the pairs of contact sections. In U.S. Pat. No. 4,804,332 the discrete circuit straps may be of the type having an apertured plate portion formed and situated to extend to the position of a pin section of the corresponding connector contact, with all plate portions in a common transverse plane to be inserted simultaneously over the pin sections of all the contacts during assembly of the filter-containing component to the connector, whereafter the plate portions are soldered to the respective pin sections. The reference thus discloses a filter-containing component which can be retrofitted onto preexisting connectors such as by being mountable externally of the connector.
It is also desirable to protect the signal lines of a connector from disruptions caused by power surges owing to electrostatic discharges (ESD) and electromagnetic pulse (EMP). Diode components are known such as from U.S. Pat. No. 4,709,253 for ESD and EMP protection, which can be mounted to individual contacts such as in U.S. Pat. No. 4,772,225, or to transverse dielectric plate members assembled within the connector such as in U.S. Pat. No. 4,729,743 having discrete circuits extending to each contact passing through the plate and ground circuits extending to the surrounding metal shell.
It is desirable to provide a connector containing components such as zener diodes for ESD or ESD/EMP protection which are easily assembled with few required parts and also which do not require more than negligible increase in the size of an otherwise standard sized connector.
It is also desirable to provide discrete diodes for closely spaced contacts of a multiterminal connector without modification of the positions of the contacts within the connector which would change the mating interface of an otherwise standard connector interface, nor require modification of the contacts.